Summer is right around the corner, and what’s more fun than combing the beach for shells? Okay, I can think of a few things that might rank higher on the fun scale, but even so: searching for shells is a common pastime among beach dwellers, and it’s obvious there’s an art to finding the good ones. Hopefully this list of shell-heavy beaches from CNN will set you in the right direction:

Sanibel Island, Florida – “Seashells cover the beaches, tinkling like wind chimes as they tumble over one another in the waves.”

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina – “ The rare Scotch bonnet, state shell of North Carolina, sometimes turns up here.”

Bandon, Oregon – “…winter storms also toss up Japanese glass fishing floats and such semiprecious stones as agate and jasper.”

Galveston, Texas – “When cold fronts roll in from the north, experienced shellers bundle up and hit the beach.”

Tunnels Beach, Kauai, Hawaii – “Legend has it that the puka shell-necklace craze began here in the 1960s”

Flag Ponds Nature Park, Lusby, Maryland – “Most of the shells here, along the Chesapeake Bay south of Annapolis, are fossils dating back millions of years.”

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia – “shark teeth can often be found on the marsh (west) side of the island”